On May 31st, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that they have published a new update on the I-94 website. CBP will remind travelers via e-mail of their officially recorded departure date from the United States. Currently, CBP will send these reminders to eligible travelers on the visa waiver program. CBP expects to further update the I-94 website to incorporate similar alerts for additional non-immigrant travelers. If the traveler has overstayed the terms of their admission, the I-94 website will provide information regarding the next steps to take.

Travelers can visit the I-94 website and enter their name, birthdate, passport number, and passport country of issuance to check their official admission and departure dates. Given the occasional incidence of CBP error in recording authorized departure dates, in addition to the new grace periods that apply to certain visas, it is imperative to check the accuracy of one’s I-94 shortly after admission to the U.S. If an error has been made, corrections can now be made in person at a CBP office or by email in some cases.

CBP created the automated I-94 system in May 2013. The automated system eliminated the need for paper forms and manual entry by allowing CPB Officers to create the I-94 Arrival Record at the time of inspection. I-94s provide non-immigrant visitors evidence they have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. and their accuracy is very important as evidence of authorization to be legally present in, and if applicable, work in the U.S.